Djuric in Brussels: We Want the EU to Include the Western Balkans in the Schengen Area as Soon as Possible

"It is frustrating that we have hard borders every 150 to 200 kilometers that literally cut off the lifeblood and daily lives of people, families, as well as the economy, tourism, and everything else. There is no reason why Europe should not unlock the full potential of integrating our region into Schengen as early as this summer", Djuric told reporters in Brussels.

According to him, fully opening the Schengen Area to the region would directly generate €50 billion in new economic activity, without reducing the security of the European Union or the security of the continent as a whole.

"The EU is working to accelerate the enlargement process"

He said that Serbia’s message was also that rapid global changes require the Union to admit countries that are not members yet, without delay.

Djuric assessed that Europe today, faced with a broader range of challenges, is genuinely working to speed up the EU enlargement process, emphasizing that Serbia’s message was that it wants to see the Schengen Area opened to all countries in the region, as quickly as possible.

"I am protecting Serbian interests"

He added that he also spoke at the meeting about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where, as he said, he sought in a respectful manner to protect Serbian interests from those who want to portray Republika Srpska as the sole or primary culprit for the difficult internal relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Serbia has always stood for stability and has always supported and remained committed to the Dayton Agreement, but Serbia firmly maintains that the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina should be the ones deciding the fate of that country, not anyone from outside", the minister stated.

"There is no decision to withhold EU funds"

Serbian Foreign Minister, Marko Djuric, stated after the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers and Western Balkan partners, that claims Serbia is being denied development funds due to an alleged EU decision, are merely political manipulation with no basis in fact.

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